Shadow Child
by AnnaChase
Summary: Sequel to Heart's Betrayal! The story continues with Lucia's second daughter as the main character. Will her faith be anything like that of her mother? Or father, perhaps? Read and find out! R&R plz.


**Shadow Child **

_"My only love, sprung from my only hate, too early seen unknown, and known too late. Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy..."_

_-William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet_

**Prologue**

Once upon a time there was a young girl and a young man who fell in love, with all the complications and obstacles that form a truly dramatic romance. Of course there are a lot of these love stories, but not everyone has their parents playing the main parts. Theirs was a love that came to be in a time of war, and rumour has it that more than a few people have been worried about how such a love affair between the members of two families, that were not at all likely to form a union, would last. But now, so many years later, I can gladly say that Harry James Potter and Lucrecia Potter-Malfoy are living the peaceful happily ever after they deserved. My father works at the Ministry of Magic as a successful auror and is still widely known and celebrated as _The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, _and so on. Even though that part of him belongs mainly to do the past now, he still does so much good. Even if he tried to he really wouldn't be able to do anything but good. My mother does good too, though there was a time when that was very different. Long before my birth, during the Second War, she was said to have been a member of the infamous Death Eaters, followers of Lord Voldemort. But after falling in love with my father she changed, and now she is atoning for her sins of the past. With the money of her trust fund which she received at the age of 21, she has founded _The Malfoy Foundation,_ which funds orphanages for children with magical abilities. To help prevent a new Tom Riddle. I'm quite proud of both my parents and admire that they have found love and discovered the right way to lead their lives. And now? Now it's my turn to achieve that.

I, Talitha Ginevra Potter, am certainly not one known to complain. It is only when I find myself alone and the lights off that I dare to admit my shortcomings, my troubles. Perhaps I am truly spoiled, because I know there are people with much, much more right to complain than I have, but I believe in the end no one is content and we are all self-centred to a certain degree. Some more than others.

At the first sight I lead a perfect life after a perfect childhood. I was born as the second child of Harry and Lucia Potter, three and a half years after my sister Zara. Thirteen years after me followed my little sister Anna, named after my great-aunt Andromeda, as the unexpected crown on the family, as my father always stated. My parents loved the three of us more than anything, I have never doubted that. I wasn't unhappy; I had everything my heart could desire when I was a child. It was only later on, as I entered first adolescence and then early adulthood that I realised I was, in fact, the _middle child_. Zara has always been my father's favourite, though he did his best to give us all an equal amount of love. He just can't help it: she looks so much like him that I imagine it impossible to see her as anything less than his favourite child. My older sister is blessed with midnight black, long hair and a pair of beautiful green eyes. She's quite tall, but not too tall to be a brilliant Seeker at Quidditch, her and dad's favourite sport to play. During our Hogwarts years she played on the house team of Gryffindor, following in both our father's and grandfather's footsteps. Then after her graduation she went into Auror Training, which she has now, at the age of 23, recently finished. She will start her job after the summer, and no doubt she will be successful at that too, as she appears to be at almost everything she does. I realise I'm making it sound now as if I'm jealous at my sister, or that I hate her even, but there is no greater lie than that. I love Zara, and sometimes we truly are best friends, but during other times I see only her success and my lack of it.

And then there was little Anna, the baby of the family. She resembled mother so much that it was almost scary, and you nearly always found our little sister by her side. Anna's hair was as blond and as straight as that of a real Malfoy, and her eyes were the same light blue as those of mother and grandmother Narcissa. Of course she was only seven now, but it was already clear that she would once be tall and slender and feminine. She shared our mother's style, and loved nothing more than to run around in pairs of high heels and old dresses found in the back of mother's closet. Anna also couldn't wait to attend the balls hosted by our grandparents, whereas Zara preferred to avoid those.

And I… I was not as quick witted or loose as Zara, nor as pretty and graceful as Anna. My eyes may be the same green as father's and Zara's, but what use was that when my hair was the colour of dull brown?, not as black as Zara's and not nearly as blond as Anna's. I was of medium-height, nothing special there, and a little too thin for my liking. There was so much I wanted to change about myself, even still at the age of twenty: usually the time to let teenage insecurities belong to the past. I still desired to look different, more perfect. But that was not what I desired the most. Most of all, I longed to be loved. To share an infinite, true love with someone. That kind of love my parents had, the kind that would never die. For I was a very romantic soul, too romantic for my own good, perhaps, for even at this age I still believe in fairy tales. I am also oversensitive, quite intuitive and quiet, though not without a good pair of brains.

I work for the _Daily Prophet, _as a journalist. I greatly enjoy my job, for my passion is writing. For as long as I can remember I've kept a diary and wrote down everything that was bothering me. I'm good at my job, and am proud to make my own money, though there's still that emptiness in my life… Would it ever be filled?

Soon I would learn that it's essential to be careful with what you wish for… Because it might just come true, and it might just be quite the opposite of what you expected…

**Author's note:** Indeed, couldn't resist a sequel lol! I hope you will all like this just as much as HEart's Betrayal, I'm doing my best! Reviews will make me update quicker, and all (constructive) criticism is welcome!


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